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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28759035">Tenderness Underlying His Silly Pretensions</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skoopedy/pseuds/DubiouslyMoral'>DubiouslyMoral (Skoopedy)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Little Prince [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Akechi Goro and Sakura Futaba Are Half-Siblings, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Half-Elves (technically), Humor, Kidnapping (Technically??), M/M, Magic (technically), Temporary Character Death, Tfw you and your sibling both want your father fucking GONE, Uh oh Akechi has feelings!!, Updated sporadically, Yes I love DnD what about it, complicated sibling dynamic, not all tags apply yet</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:42:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,792</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28759035</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skoopedy/pseuds/DubiouslyMoral</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Prince Akechi has been a revered presence amongst the castle ever since he was taken in by his father, the great King Masayoshi Shido. His presence outside of it is also well known, and just as adored. He plans it to keep it that way until he can get close enough to the bastard who sits upon that wicked throne and destroy him in retribution for what he’s done to his mother.</p><p>However, the presence of the princess who locks herself in her tower is one that haunts him, try as he can to ignore it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akechi Goro &amp; Sakura Futaba, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Little Prince [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2108463</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Goro Big Bang 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Tenderness Underlying His Silly Pretensions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“In those days, I didn’t understand anything. I should have judged her according to her actions, not her words. She perfumed up my planet and lit up my life. I should never have run away! I ought to have realized the tenderness underlying her silly pretensions. Flowers are so contradictory! But I was too young to know how to love her.”</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince</strong>
</p><p>_</p><p>The rays of morning reach into the prince’s room, dappling the white floors golden with growing intensity as the sun slowly continues its rise.</p><p>Goro blinks open sleep-encrusted eyes when the light becomes too much to bear.</p><p>A loud yawn escapes him as the tired teen sits up more in bed, languidly stretching his arms to relieve them of the weariness that’s still seeped into his muscles. Scratching his mussy bedhead, Goro pulls off the covers and stands up, walking over towards the clothes that were tentatively folded upon his dresser. It seems like the servant has already been here.</p><p>Slowly taking off his soft bed clothing, Goro Akechi - prince of the castle, adored across the land, and the only son of the king Masayoshi Shido - looks at himself in the mirror.</p><p>Reflected at him was the image of a perfect boy, with glistening light brown hair and the prettiest shade of darkest maroon residing in his eyes. His cheeks are soft, his eyes are big, his chin is round. The faintest dust of pink running across his nose helped solidify the look, giving him a face that seemed innocent but could change into one that was serious if he so needed to be.</p><p>Goro scowled just to see what ruining such perfection would look like.</p><p>It was a look he hardly got to express, but it was one that he felt deep inside all the same. A wild expression, a look of soul-staining bitterness and seething fury. It’s horrid to witness upon a boy who’s supposed to be nothing short of a blessing, Goro is sure.</p><p>Letting his features soften once more, the prince picks up his fresh outfit of the day and dutifully gets dressed, going about the rest of his morning routine.</p><p>Goro’s white room is kept dim as the curtains covering his balcony keep the rest of the approaching light at bay. He exits when he’s finished, without a glance towards them.</p><p>-</p><p>“Oh, Prince Goro! Good morning!”</p><p>A practiced gleam, a soft smile, a slight closing of the eyes as his lips drift upward, and, smoothly, prince Goro slides on a pleasant expression towards the servant. He gives a slight wave as he responds “Good morning” in kind, continuing on his way as if he has somewhere to be this early in the day.</p><p>He pretends he doesn’t hear the dreamy sigh the maid makes, pretending that he doesn’t hear the other servants laughing or giggling along.</p><p>“Hello, Prince Goro!”</p><p>“Good morning, my prince!”</p><p>“I hope you slept well, you surely need it.”</p><p>“Have a good day, my prince.”</p><p>“You look lovely today!”</p><p>And with each comment, Goro would make a casual response back. Some servants would stop him so that they could selfishly make Goro placate their need to interact with him, but most would let him walk on, satisfied with the little acknowledgment that he did offer. The ones who let him be are all under the assumption that Goro is very busy and is probably needed in five different places right now, which… wouldn’t exactly be an exaggeration, except that it doesn’t count for today. </p><p>On this morning, during the rise of the warm sun, Goro has the miracle of reprieve for the first few hours of the day. Such a time is hard to come by for the prince, as his presence is highly demanded in not just the castle but also in nearby settlements to handle political and social matters.</p><p>Being adored by the entirety of the kingdom is hard work that never ends, after all. Now, Goro finally has the chance to eat breakfast normally before he goes over to the grounds library, where he will use his spare time to read and possibly even see if his personal informant Sae has any new work for him.</p><p>However, that train of thought is put to an end.</p><p>“Good morning, your highness.”</p><p><em>Gods, fuck, shut up, leave me be, </em>Goro harshly thinks. He hasn’t even been up for an hour, and he’s already done with being pulled aside by selfish people who think that they have a right to Goro’s limited time.</p><p>He stops walking down the hall, interrupted by the servant that approached him, the gentle tap of shoes resonating around the interior as she comes to a stop in front of him.</p><p>Goro should say something. He <em>wants</em> to say something.</p><p>“Ah, good morning,” he responds in return, tone soft with a spike of intrigue. His smile returns once more, offering the maid a soft expression.</p><p>The servant bows at him, smiling gently as she says, “Your presence has been requested by the king.”</p><p><em>Fuck</em>. Goro feels a muscle twitch in his temple, but his posture and expression remain unchanged. Ah, yes, of course, Shido would want to meet him as soon as it was noticed that he was awake. Shido waits for no one since everything centers around his timetable, including Goro’s breakfast. He didn’t get <em>breakfast </em>yet, for god’s sake.</p><p>He shifted his expression into one of mild surprise, a small hum of acknowledgment escaping his lips before he gave the servant a nod. “I see. Thank you for telling me, I’ll go see him right away.”</p><p>With a nod of her own, the servant walks on by him, heading off to do the rest of her duties for the castle.</p><p>Goro stays there for a few seconds more before he picks his pace up again, taking a left instead of a right as he continues on his way.</p><p>Getting to the throne room wasn’t too much of a trek when traversing the massive building’s corridors. It was structured to be in the top middle of the layout, as a symbol of being the center head of the entire place. Goro knew the king; his father loved showing off his status and rule to everyone who chances upon existence, and if it wasn’t for the fact that the man knew how to be terrifying and withheld no morals Goro would say that the man’s head was topheavy from his immense ego.</p><p>Goro knew what kind of person his father was, in ways that only a handful of others were observant enough to see and fewer got to witness up close. The man was confident and he knew that no one would backstab him lest he decided to threaten them or send out one of his goons to take out the target immediately. And with that, Goro can easily say that his father is an even bigger dickhead than he is.</p><p>He wishes he wasn’t working for Shido, least of all be related to him.</p><p>Goro heads through an arched doorway, walking into the throne room and looking up at Shido as he sits upon the imposing, gold-and-jewel-laced chair that resides in the middle of it all. It would intimidate Goro a bit, as it did at first, but those impressions had vanished long ago. Now, he just hopes Shido suffers from agonizing back pain from sitting on the damn thing all the time. </p><p>A blank expression passes over Goro’s face as he looks upon his father, the false sense of pleasantry fading away entirely. He already knows what this meeting is for.</p><p>“Good morning, father. You needed me?”</p><p>Goro’s voice took on a monotone, a darker tint edging through the words like small rivulets of venom. Shido would expect this of his son by now, but others would at the very least be unsettled by the stark change in his demeanor from the boy in the hallways, the one that the servants talked to as soon as he walked out of his chamber doors.</p><p>Shido snarls. “What did I say about greeting me before showing me proper respect, boy?”</p><p>Withholding an ugly grimace, Goro lets down one knee and kneels before the king.</p><p>“Better.” Shido’s smile is thin and sharp.</p><p>Goro feels sick.</p><p>“Now, stand up. I called you here because surely you’ve heard about what happened recently.” The king leans forward a bit, eyes demanding and impatient. He was obviously upset.</p><p>“Yes. This is about that marauder chief, Kaneshiro, being taken down by that rogue group, right?” Goro phrases it as a question, but he already knows everything. Ever since he heard the news, the prince has been using his resources to figure out what caused the leader to wind up beaten and bruised and willingly, hesitantly imprisoned. It was a surprise when it happened, sure, but one that wasn’t entirely out of the left field.</p><p>This rogue group, known notoriously as the Phantom Thieves, has been taking down targets that they deemed corrupted and punishable and forcing them to admit to all the sins that they’ve committed. The methods they use are ones that can be considered brutal, as each of their victims has come out the other end weeping and hurt. From what Goro can tell so far, these vigilantes are taking the law into their own hands and upholding some blind sense of nobleness by forcing down anyone that has done an act of treachery.</p><p>Goro feels <em>sick</em>.</p><p>“Exactly.” King Shido continues, gazing down at Goro as if the prince was the one bothering him instead. “Now, do you know why this is starting to become a problem?”

“Kaneshiro was an important tool for the court as he instilled fear in groups and caused the people to look towards you as a guide. He also offered his stolen goods for usage. Not only losing him but the artisan Madarame and many other followers, has caused a deficit.” Goro was quick to answer.</p><p>“Heh. That brain of yours really isn’t just for show.” Shido leans back again, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’ve been losing people because of this terroristic group, and so losing lots of resources and power thanks to them. They need to learn that they should’ve stopped before they ever decided to mess with things.”</p><p>Goro knows where this is going, but he also knows better than to speak up over King Shido.</p><p>“No more beating around the bush. I need you to find out who they are. I <em>want</em> you to get rid of them.”</p><p>Ah, yes. More work for Goro to do, more orders that he has to accomplish for his dear king. Goro was already looking into the Phantom Thieves and has been for a few months now since the renegade group’s actions started to become more frequent. It used to be a source of entertainment, of finding the infamous “Joker” that left his mark behind for Goro to find, through cards and initials and stirrings in the dust. It was a thrill getting closer to discovering the one who is simultaneously derailing his work and giving him the final goal he needs to make his plans a reality.</p><p>But as these notorious “Thieves” kept going after higher and higher targets, Goro’s workload as the prince tailing them grew more demanding. The noblemen of Shido’s court were getting antsy as people closeby began to drop like flies, and the people were torn between rooting for the thieves that seemed like heroes to the weak and a harbinger to the well-off. It was Goro’s job as the protector of his people and the tool of his father to bring these thieves to justice. </p><p>It didn’t matter what Goro thought that he wanted. He had a job to do, and it comes before <em>everything.</em></p><p>Everything…</p><p>“Whatever you wish for, King Shido.”</p><p>“Good. Then you are dismissed.”</p><p>-</p><p>Goro looks down at his cold breakfast as he sits alone in the expansive dining hall. The fruits next to his barely eaten cooked goose eggs remain untouched, expression carefully blank as he gazes at the long-forgotten food. He doesn’t allow himself to glare down at his plate despite how much his face scrunches at the corners. After all, someone could walk in and see it, and wouldn’t that be a disapproving sight.</p><p><em>I </em>want <em>them gone,</em> rings through Goro’s head and bounces around his skull, and stains his eyes when he blinks. He thinks about the last time he “seen” Joker, where the renegade left behind a commotion at the chief Kaneshiro’s stolen place of establishment. The thief was slick, hard to grasp, and never left behind even a hair without purpose after he ransacks a target. It was why Goro both hated and hesitantly <em>revered</em> the one that he considered to be his rival; he was a challenge, and left them wherever he made his presence known.</p><p>Goro’s fingers tap in a rhythm on the dark wood of the table. Even though he’s alone in the quiet in-between of stone walls, he feels seen.</p><p>With a loaded sigh, Goro pushes his plate away and stands up, quickly placing a single slice of apple in his mouth before departing into the hallways once more. He mindfully chews as he continues his pace, eyes subtly squinting from the late morning sunlight filtering in from the fancy windows lining the path.</p><p>He has to come up with his next step. Even without Shido’s orders, the demands of the nobles, power-mongering authorities, and blind-sided civilians that littered the population are also piling up and adding weight to his shoulders. He needs to figure out how to get close enough to the thieves to be able to take them down, but that was already hard enough to do when Goro hardly even met the group, more often than not only being able to catch up to the scene afterward.</p><p>He only saw them once, about a month back. That was a night when they saw him too.</p><p>It was a bad time for all of them involved. Goro knows that they wouldn’t have figured out who he was, but it was frustrating that it was also vice versa. Everyone was wearing masks, but Goro could never forget the way that Joker’s eyes, from behind a pearly white disguise, locked on him and expressed a look of rebellion that sent shivers down Goro’s spine.</p><p>That was all Goro had to go off of, with no ideas as to who the Phantom Thieves’ next target was. The image of gunmetal grey clawed its way to the forefront of his mind, nearly overpowering the words that commanded Goro’s brain forward. He quickened his pace.</p><p>When Goro bursts into the library, Sae Nijiima jumps slightly from where she’s sitting down at a closeby table. </p><p>“Prince Goro?” Sae begins to say, but she quickly schools her expression back into one that is professional.</p><p>He smiles at Sae, one that was akin to the glee that he gave the servants earlier. However, this one had a bit of an awkward tilt to it, fully intentional and only a half-truth.</p><p>“Ah, good morning Sae. Sorry for the surprise, I was a bit caught up in my thoughts.” Goro apologizes, making his way over to where the informer sat at a table. </p><p>Sae almost always comes to the library to work, explaining to Goro before that it was more peaceful than hearing the noise of the other informants and servants that wander outside her quarters. Goro felt a minute pang of empathy for her at the time, and he doesn’t judge her for it now. If anything, the library has also turned into a room outside of his room, and he often talks long and vigorously with Sae about whatever work and problems she brings to the table, or others that don’t concern them.</p><p>If Goro had to feel even a little bit of peace, he thinks it would be here, where he is somewhat separated from the world.</p><p>“Hm. No, you’re fine. I was actually just about to come to get you.” Sae responds, looking back at the table where some stacks of paper were messily organized across the top. “I’ve been digging up as much as I could about Kaneshiro. There wasn’t much to go off of, but apparently, his stint as marauder leader only lasted about two years, if not a year and a half. Despite being new to this, he was quite a threat in that he knew how to keep the strongest by his side to do dirty work for him. Kaneshiro was never seen in the towns his bandit ring attacked, but he was still feared.”</p><p>She gives him a sideways glance. “Quite a threat to go after, don’t you think?”</p><p>This is something that Goro likes about Sae. She’s all business, and any minute not used being productive is one wasted, a mindset that Goro feels that he shares. It’s what makes her useful and resourceful as his informant, and it’s a plus that she’s smart, observant, and quick-thinking. It makes Goro’s job easier in that there’s one less person that he doesn’t feel obligated to tolerate.</p><p>Goro immediately nods. “Yes, he is intimidating. A lot of bandit leaders are. But I’m not surprised that the Phantom Thieves took an interest in him, other than that he is quite the downgrade from some of their previous targets.” He replies, going ahead and taking a seat across from Sae.</p><p>“I noticed that too. Do you think they’re going after smaller victims after what happened the last time?”</p><p>“Maybe. We can’t be too sure. These thieves know how to cover their tracks, and we don’t have a clue as to who they are. Their motive seems to remain the same throughout, at least.” That’s what Goro detested most about these thieves, about Joker. They were simply too good at what they do, too incorporeal to be caught.</p><p>Sae nods at his words, but she looks at him in a way that makes Goro’s eye want to twitch.</p><p>“Hm? What is it?” He asks, ignoring the blots of irritation that flitter across his thoughts.</p><p>“Nothing.” She hesitates, but then she seems to think better of it and tries again. “Ah, it’s just… I know that you’re adamant about not involving her, but what about the princess?”</p><p>Ah, that’s a twitch in his eye and a vein throbbing against his temple, Goro can feel them. His pleasantry doesn’t break for a second, but he feels his mind suddenly turn ablaze, stoked by annoyance, at the informant’s question. He’s told Sae the same thing about going to the princess, time and time again.</p><p>“What about her?” He asks, expression inquiring rather than peeved, though his tone is dipped in a tad bit of passive aggression.</p><p>“I just--” Sae looks away, looking back at the papers in front of her as a troubled look befalls her. “I’ve heard you before. I haven’t forgotten. But I still think that your sister’s magic can help us figure out who the thieves are. She could most likely find a way to give us the identities of these rebels, and we’d finally have the time to track them down. We need tips in the right direction, and she can give us them.”</p><p>Goro blinks at Sae. Then he lets out a sigh.</p><p>“I can understand where you’re coming from,” Goro replies in earnest, “but you have to respect my wishes that I don’t want to, and cannot, get her to help us with this. She refuses to speak to me; I’m not an exception to her isolation. And even if I could, I wouldn’t ask her to use her magic just to make my job easier.”</p><p>Goro stops for a second, seemingly lost in thought, but before Sae can speak up again he lifts a finger to halt her. “And a correction: she’s my half-sister.”</p><p>Sae closes her mouth shut, breaking whatever it was that she was going to say, but gives him a look that says she’s inwardly rolling her eyes at his “correction” when he finishes. She can’t really do so, as that would be an offense against the prince, and she could be fired on the spot if Goro dared ask for it. Not that he would, but he doesn’t want her to lose her sense of respect for him.</p><p>“Fine. But your majesty, I think you can break through to her. Aren’t even half-siblings supposed to have an understanding of each other?”</p><p>Goro looks at Sae, the previous irritation now swarming into a sensation that he can only call bitter.</p><p>“Oh? Do you perhaps have experience with that, Sae?” He questions, smiles, and continues to pretend.</p><p>And just as he predicted, he sees Sae flinch a bit.</p><p>“I…” Sae tries to begin, but she falls silent. A restless quiet hangs between them, and Sae is now wearing a forlorn expression and looking away again, and fuck. Fuck it.</p><p>He squishes down his regret and speaks up, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."</p><p>Sae shakes her head, looking back at Goro with a mixture of sadness and appreciation. “It’s okay. You wouldn’t have known.”</p><p>Ah, but yes he did. It’s why he said it in the first place-</p><p>“Well, actually, I guess you would have known. You don’t do anything without a purpose. But at least you apologized.” Sae continues and gives Goro a small, grateful smile.</p><p>Goro blinks once more. A conflicting sense of dumbfoundedness, warmth, and defensiveness knock into each other in his chest, leaving him a bit breathless in their carnage. He gives Sae a chuckle, putting a fist up to his mouth as his eyes scrunch up in amusement.</p><p>“Ha, yes, you may be a little right.” Goro folds his hands back in his lap, somehow feeling both lighter and more weighted. Another reason why Goro feels like he could like Sae; she somehow surprises him now and then, whether it be good or bad.</p><p>Goro watches Sae as she looks at him with a lighter expression that could be called <em>fond</em> if he didn’t know any better, but then it drops and they’re right back to where they started. </p><p>“I still stand by what I said.” Of course, she does. Goro doesn’t expect anything different. “I think you should at least try to talk to her. We’re not using her for anything bad… we’re just using whatever resources we have at our disposal.”</p><p>Goro feels his eyebrows pinch together, and folds his arms against his chest.</p><p>She continues, in the last bid to convince him. “The Phantom Thieves have been trouble for seven months now. Our time is growing short. Please, at least consider it.”</p><p>Unable to help a small frown from showing, Goro looks down at his lap as he pretends to contemplate Sae’s words.</p><p>His answer is still no. The princess has no part in Goro’s investigation of the thieves. No matter the reason, he refuses to bring her into anything that involves him, especially a plan that he has spent so many months figuring out and navigating. Magic or no, Goro shouldn’t want her help. He doesn’t <em>need</em> her help. Even if he ever did, there was still the issue of the princess restraining herself to her tower and limiting all interaction to the servants that deposit her food through the chamber doors. That is if they were lucky enough to get a word from her.</p><p>Ever since the castle’s resident magic-user, Wakaba Ishiiki, passed away, Princess Futaba locked herself away into her tower and hasn’t left its corridors since. She refuses to see or speak to anyone, and from what Goro’s heard from rumors amongst the maids her presence is now more of a ghost story rather than a fact of life. Many servants have questioned their purpose in going up the tower to offer food in front of the doors, as it would rot before they took it back down, and any small disappearances of an apple slice or a bread roll were blamed on pests.</p><p>Goro’s face turns into a deeper grimace before he remembers himself. The only ones who knew about the princess and her magic were servants who managed to stick around for a couple of years longer than average or the people close enough to the royal family. He hasn’t heard from his half-sister for many years, and he hasn’t bothered to notice this passage of time until it’s pushed in front of him. Goro hasn’t made much or any effort to interact with the princess, as it is simply not something that he has the time to focus on. His attention is constantly driven elsewhere, by bigger and more important matters that do not need a hermit princess taking time away from them. </p><p>Goro doesn’t waste time. And the princess? </p><p>She’s a huge distraction.</p><p>Feeling fingernails dig into his arms, Goro looks back up at Sae and offers a dim grin. “I’ll think about it. I can’t promise anything, though.”</p><p>Sae nods, obviously unsatisfied.</p><p>“Well, thank you for that, at least.” She responds and sighs as she picks up a paper that was forgotten amidst their conversation. “Now, do you want me to update you on everything? It’s nothing much outside of what I told you when you got here, and there’s no more progress concerning the Phantom Thieves. However, there is a string of reports in the next settlement outside of the capital that I think you wouldn’t be too bored with.”</p><p>Goro leans forward once more, falling back fully into the familiarity of work. “Tell me more about it.”</p><p>The morning’s end has reached them by this point, and the two converse well into noon. The sun peaked in the library at some point, and Goro lifted a hand to cover his eyes without thinking when the huge window let it settle onto them.</p><p>Sae looks back up from her writing, eyes shifting between Goro and his hand. “Are you okay?” she asks, and there would be a notable concern in anyone else’s voice.</p><p>“Ah-” Goro moves his hand and looks shy when Sae follows the movement. “Sorry. My eyes just aren’t used to the light, as I’ve been inside all day.” He knows the excuse was weak, but it wasn’t like Sae didn’t already have an explanation for it.</p><p>With a hum, Sae looks back at her writing. “I see. I’ve wondered about that, you know. You don’t always show it, so I don’t know if you’re just sensitive to sunny weather, but you seem to be more hesitant to go outside on days like these and you catch yourself shying away from it. Is it a half-elf thing or something?”</p><p>Goro goes back to writing his own papers and nods when Sae asks her question. “I suppose. I’m not around other half-elves too much to know if it’s a thing amongst us, or if I’m just more sensitive than usual. It doesn’t bother me too much. As you said, it only arouses on days like these, and other than that I’m fine.”</p><p>“I see. I suppose I wouldn’t know too much about it myself either, as I’m human.” Sae says, and she absentmindedly taps her pencil against the table’s rim, obviously in thought.</p><p><em>Might as well,</em> Goro thinks to himself. Knowing his informant, she’s either going to eventually ask or pretend that her inquiry is not eating at her. Both aren’t desirable, but it couldn’t be anything worse than any other conversations they’ve had.</p><p>“What is it?” He asks, eyes never straying from Sae’s own.</p><p>“Ah- it’s nothing.” Sae deflects, most likely thinking it was unimportant.</p><p>Oh, now <em>Goro’s</em> curious. It’s usually nothing minor that makes the hard-working woman deviate, even for a few seconds. With intrigue pulsing through his mind, Goro puts a hand on his head and makes his interest known.</p><p>“I’m sure it’s fine. I’m actually wondering what it is now.”</p><p>“Well...” Sae goes quiet at first, and ah, is Goro going to regret this? But then she shakes her head. “It’s not important. It was just a simple thought - there's no use of it."</p><p>"Hm. If you say so." Goro relents, denying the relief that he felt.</p><p>"Right."</p><p>They only spoke out of necessity for the rest of the afternoon.</p><p>-</p><p>Goro is kept busy for the rest of the day after he says goodbye to Sae and leaves the library. His time is full and limited, and the prince is dragged everywhere across the castle grounds. It wasn’t until the moon was showing in the late evening that the prince found himself walking down a silent corridor, heading back to his chambers for the night.</p><p>An archway opens up into a garden, and Goro passes through it into the dimming twilight.</p><p>It was a small thing, with only ferns and medium-height bushes lining a path towards the other end. The main garden was further away behind the back of the castle, where the more exotic plants, trees, and ornate layouts were located. This part was a simple open area, meant as more of a way to know where you’re at and see where other locations were segmented. Spires and large, main areas rose into the sky, and Goro came to a stop.</p><p>Into the distance, there is a tower. It practically dwarves all the other atmosphere-obliterating structures, reaching high into the night as if to touch the constellations. Goro doesn’t have to squint to see the single window and balcony that were most likely shuttered, cutting off the rest of the world from the tinier one inside.</p><p>For a second, Goro’s mind wanders.</p><p>But he snaps himself out of it, blinking away the fog of distraction as he continues his walk forward, reaching the opposite archway and not once glancing back.</p><p>_</p><p>During the next two weeks, Goro’s schedule remained about the same. Most of his time was spent in the library discussing things with Sae, trying to come up with their next move towards the thieves. The rest of his time was spent on errands around the castle grounds, as well as traversing the capital beyond. The prince was a highly sought after presence, and Goro couldn’t afford to disappoint.</p><p>It was tough work, but nothing that he wasn’t used to.</p><p>As of now, it was the noon of the second Monday that Goro finally found himself the time to walk through the castle’s expansive main garden. The weather wasn’t dim by any means, but the clouds that slowly puffed through the sky held back a majority of daylight, sparing his sensitive eyes.</p><p>He walks along the white cobble of the pathway, taking in a deep breath and smelling the faint aroma of hundreds of rare flora.</p><p>When Goro’s thoughts refused to still in their disarray, he let out a small disgruntled noise.</p><p><em>What’s the point of coming out here if it’ll have no effect at all</em>, he thinks to himself.</p><p>Against his will, Sae’s voice rings loud and clear.</p><p><em>“Because the point is</em>,” his informant had responded, stubborn and unmoving. “<em>You need a break, your majesty. I understand the need to work, but it’s been quite a while. To be honest, I’m not sure if you have even slept; for all I know, you could be doing extra work in your chambers at night. As your informant, I must remind you to take care of yourself, and I think that a twenty-minute break is</em> <em>necessary.”</em></p><p>He had argued with Sae for a good few minutes when she brought it up. Goro told her that he didn’t have the time to spare, that his duty to his people comes before all, but the woman was insistent. She was practically pushing him out the door into the gardens, and it didn’t matter how much Goro protested at that point.</p><p>Sae had given him a look from the doors before she closed them behind her, and it took everything in Goro’s will to stop himself from storming back in and using his royalty-given authority.</p><p>It was with a sigh of resignation that Goro had turned around and started his walk alongside the bushes and flowers. He was hesitant to admit it to himself, but maybe he did feel a bit drained.</p><p>There was still tension in his core, however, one that he thinks will never leave him. It was prominent in his shoulders and in the way his mind warped easily. As Goro strolls stiffly through the shrubbery, he can’t help the sense of pettiness that bubbles into his being at doing something as bland as gallivanting through the gardens.</p><p>What was he supposed to do here? He had much better things to do than to stop and smell the roses.</p><p>If Goro knew one thing, it was that the worst company he could ask for was his own. Thus, why Goro fixated on his work and hobbies; the silence brought attention to stuff that he otherwise ignored. He wasn’t even allowed to go get a book as a proper distraction before coming out here, for fuck’s sake.</p><p>Goro feels a tinge of gratefulness that he was alone right now. He’s breaking character, and he can’t quite find the want to build it back up yet.</p><p>There was a place to sit nearby and wait out the rest of his time, a white bench that found relative peace among the garden walls, hidden underneath an exquisite tree. If Goro had to pick any place to spend his time on these grounds, it would be there.</p><p>Maybe Goro could use this time to think more about the Phantom Thieves. What little progress he managed to make in these few weeks tugged insistently at his thoughts. Kaneshiro, when he was questioned, gave the same basic descriptions of the Thieves that previous targets gave - the aggressors all wore masks, but their voices were definite. These voices changed depending on the target, but there was one thing that always remained the same; there was always a deep, threatening voice that acted as the leader of the rest.</p><p>Joker.</p><p>Goro knew all of this already, just as he knew that the group was young like him, consisted of differently-gendered people, wielded magic, and were all most likely victims at some point. He saw them face to face - disguise to disguise - and while that gave major leeway into their identities, Goro had a harder time tracking down who they were outside of their masks. He doesn’t recollect having interacted with any of them beforehand, even if some of them did make him wonder…</p><p>Like Joker. Though Goro also had an uneasy suspicion about the brown-haired fist-fighter that appeared more often than not.</p><p>Just ahead of him was the fountain that acted as the garden’s centerpiece. The bench would be to the right from where he is. Goro quickened his pace, patience never being a virtue of his-</p><p>All of a sudden, Goro is seeing stars and feels a sharp pain flash through his left temple and shoulder as something crashes into him. Before he could catch himself, he goes tipping sideways, the world around him upending.</p><p>There was a grunt of pain, one that wasn’t from him, and there was a clack of shoes on stone, ones Goro didn’t hear before, as someone pulled back abruptly.</p><p>The next thing Goro knows, he feels leaves and branches break his fall, bits of them entangling in his hair as thorns jab through his clothes and into his skin. At the corners of his vision, bright red petals flit wildly up in the air before landing on his attire, gently caressing his face in their wake. Goro puts a hand to his head and winces in pain, hissing under his breath as his eyes scrunched.</p><p>There was an “Ah-” from in front of him, and the person seemed to take a step forward before stopping.</p><p>When Goro processed what just happened, his eyes opened wide to look up at the cause of this mishap.</p><p>Lo and behold, standing in front of him, with his hands up in surrender and eyes just as wide, is the most handsome stranger that Goro’s ever seen. His dark hair was unkempt and wild, sticking up at random intervals that only seemed to do the guy wonders rather than naturally otherwise. He had pale-leaning skin, his face sharp on the outside and soft on the cheeks.</p><p>But it was his eyes that caught Goro’s attention the most. They were an intense gray, eyelashes thick and accentuating the sharpness of his pupils, and the sight of them left a small shock coursing down Goro’s spine. They were hidden under a pair of glasses, but the lack of light left little gleam to reflect off the glass, leaving them viewable for Goro alone.</p><p>He then sees the stranger’s eyebrows raise and watches him take a step back, almost as if in surprise.</p><p>It was then that Goro realized that he wasn’t holding back his look of utter disdain.</p><p>“I-” The guy in front of him begins, tone raising like a question, and Goro almost blinks at how deep the other’s voice is. At least he has the decency to look a bit sheepish. “I didn’t see you there.”</p><p>Oh, Goro fucking <em>hates</em> him.</p><p>Goro forces his wide-open eyes to soften and a hesitant, reassuring smile to come across his face. “N-no, it’s quite alright! I didn’t see you either.” He tries to move, but the thorns scrape and scratch his skin more and he sharply inhales in pain again.</p><p>The guy makes something akin to a baffled expression before it disappears. If he feels guilt, Goro can’t quite see it.</p><p>He holds out a hand, and Goro immediately has the want to smack it away. Instead, he grabs it and lets the other pull him up, withholding a curse as the rose thorns jostled.</p><p>“Thank you,” Goro says as he gets back up on his feet, and he immediately gets to work on removing the offending remnants of nature off of him.</p><p>The unfairly attractive stranger watches Goro as he continues to clean himself off. It unnerved Goro, the way that intense stare observed him, but it wasn’t like he would ever admit it aloud.</p><p>Just as he slowly pulled out the last twig in his knotted hair, the guy spoke again. “I’m sorry. I really didn’t see you there.”</p><p><em>Is he being genuine?</em>, Goro wonders because he really couldn’t tell. The other spoke with little inflection in his voice, not giving Goro any clues to go off of. The only thing that the prince could infer from the stranger was that he wore servant clothing.</p><p>It was unnatural. Goro was used to reading people, viewing their innermost thoughts and feelings as if they were open books. This servant was <em>unnatural.</em></p><p>“It’s… okay. Though, I do find it most troublesome to be dressed with the garden now.” Slight downcast with a tinge of humor. Goro works up the charm, making that previously mentioned patience appear and a <em>truly honorable, virtuous </em>traitof his.</p><p>Isn’t Goro a goddamn saint.</p><p>The servant doesn’t even chuckle, just thins his lips. It makes Goro seethe with irritation.</p><p>Clearing his throat, he tries again. “I, uh, should be saying sorry too. I wasn’t paying attention, with where I was going,” Goro explains, “I was too lost in thought. Apologies.”</p><p>The servant nods, a hand reaching up to his <em>stupid, rumpled, he should brush it,</em> hair and tugging on his bangs.</p><p>“It’s okay.” He states, but then something seems to connect in his brain as he then rushes to let out, “Y-your majesty.”</p><p>Goro gently smirks. “Ah, so you’ve recognized me.” As if he wasn’t fucking wearing expensive, exclusive, royalty-only attire.</p><p>A tiny blush alights on the other’s face, and Goro has to bite his cheek to keep his intense satisfaction locked inside. Or, well, most of it.</p><p>Goro feels his ears flick. Was that a mumble from the servant’s direction? Hm. He didn’t see the other move, and he should’ve been way more distinct to Goro. Well, whatever, there was something more pressing to Goro, anyway.</p><p>“Huh. To be quite honest, I’ve never seen you around before. Are you new to the castle?” He asks, stepping a bit closer to closely examine the other’s features.</p><p>“Mm!” The new guy lets out before taking a step back. “Y-yes. Yeah, I am.”</p><p>Goro squints his eyes. He didn’t hear of the servants getting anyone new recently…</p><p>“Well, you must be incredibly new then. Bumping into the prince and destroying his image could be seen as a bit of a transgression, you know.” He smiles brightly.</p><p>The guy’s eyes widen, and he ducks his head before Goro could see if a flash of panic courses through him, bangs now obscuring his face. Goro feels slightly disappointed. He would’ve relished it.</p><p>Ah, for someone so good looking, it’s too bad that he’s such a coward. He’s been stumbling and mumbling for most of the time, and Goro would’ve rolled his eyes if he didn’t have to make a good first impression. </p><p><em>Oh well</em>, Goro inwardly shrugs it off. <em>Let’s just get this over w-</em></p><p>“Then how about we go get you cleaned up.” He hears suddenly, the servant not looking back up as he speaks.</p><p>W-...what? Goro blinks, eyebrows furrowing slightly as surprise dons on him.</p><p>
  <em>What?</em>
</p><p>“What do y-” but before Goro could finish, there’s a grasp on his wrist, bits of pain flaring up from the cuts. “Huh?”</p><p>Then, before he could spout his disapproval, Goro feels himself being tugged, back in the direction where the guy came from. The other doesn’t even turn to him, doesn’t even look to see if all of this was okay, to ask if he was allowed to even think of touching Goro, and that-</p><p>It should’ve angered Goro to no end.</p><p>But right now, all the prince can seem to do and think about is just how annoyingly, surprisingly <em>bold</em> this stranger is.</p><p>Goro doesn’t drag his feet. He doesn’t force them to stop in their tracks. He looks between the clasp right below his hand, where a warmth emanated from the stranger’s palm and seeped into his cold skin, and back towards the other’s head, which doesn’t look away from their path.</p><p>“Where do you-” Goro tests pulling his wrist, but it doesn’t come free. “Think you’re taking me?!”</p><p>There was a shift from the stranger, his face looking back slightly to finally acknowledge him.</p><p>“Somewhere private. You still have leaves in your hair, by the way.” He responds, then looks away again.</p><p>Goro swears to every single God above that he had seen the slightest hint of a smirk pull at his face.</p><p>Goro grits his teeth. He almost doesn’t want to pull out the leaves in a fit of childish rebellion. Who the hell is this guy, to have the nerve to taunt him like this?</p><p>He hears something come from the guy in front of him. Did he just laugh?!</p><p>Just as Goro clenches his fist, ready to pull his wrist back and throw this guy into a wall and corner him and curse him to hell, <em>damn</em> his image, he’s suddenly pulled forward and pushed into a room.</p><p>“Will you-” Goro turns around, ready to speak his mind, but before he could, <em>again,</em> the stranger closes the door. A candle was already lit inside, illuminating the room a dim orange.</p><p>Goro backs up. He feels angry at being manhandled and thrust into what looks like a servant's supply closet, especially by some guy who he doesn’t even know the name of yet. He looks the other up and down, taking note of his slightly slouched posture and nonchalant demeanor.</p><p>For others, it would seem meek. For Goro, it seems vaguely threatening.</p><p>They look at each other for a few seconds. When the servant takes a step forward, Goro takes one back.</p><p>Goro gives a stern look, eyes hard. It’s probably a bit more threatening than he should let them be. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but I’ll let you know that this is very unnatural behavior. Either explain yourself or let me through.”</p><p>The other doesn’t say anything, <em>do</em> anything, and Goro wills himself to not step forward to look further past the shadows of his hair. He feels like he’s being examined.</p><p>Goro forces down a shiver.</p><p>The stranger takes another step forward, and Goro watches intensely, preparing for any sudden moves - he’s pretty sure he can escape this room without using his last resort, this one seems pretty thin, but he shouldn’t have allowed himself to be dragged into some back room, he’ll be able to get out of this, he’s gotten through worse, he could just grab the other by the elbow when he least expects it-</p><p>The guy hesitates. He lowers his head, and Goro feels his ear twitch again. </p><p>Then points towards his head, on the right side.</p><p>“Right here.”</p><p>Goro squints. He doesn’t allow himself to ease.</p><p>“Leaf. Right here.”</p><p>Goro slowly puts a hand up towards the same spot on his own head, and tugs out a leaf that he hadn’t felt before. He lets it fall to the ground.</p><p>“At the top, too.” 
</p><p>Goro repeats the process. They do this game of direction a few more times before Goro was certain that there were none left, and he untangled his hair along the way too. There were more leaves than he anticipated, and Goro rakes his fingers down his head once more.</p><p>“Okay. I think there’s some kind of oil in here…” The other then moves towards the side of the room, towards a shelf that was filled with different types of junk. He moves things around, but it doesn’t take long for him to find a medicinal jar. Goro could only assume how old it was, considering that it was layered with dust, but before he could object the guy thrusts his arm forward and gestures for him to take it.</p><p>Goro looks at the jar, unmoving. It makes him feel uneasy - this guy sure as hell was alright with tugging Goro around the castle, in plain sight. What’s stopping him now?</p><p><em>Unpredictable</em>, Goro’s mind supplies him. <em>A threat.</em></p><p>He takes the jar, making sure to evade the other’s fingers. When he opens it, the smell of herbs wafts through the air and reaches his nose. “Thank you.” He says, taking off his white gloves to apply the medicine to his cuts. It should be okay to use, and if it isn’t Goro would have even more of a valid excuse to ruin this guy. “I must say that this was quite a surprise, considering that I don’t even know who you are.”</p><p>“Ah.” The other begins, and Goro notes that he’s right back to that awkward stance. He once again pulls at his bangs, <em>wild, striking, has he even heard of a brush?!</em> “My name’s Akira Kurusu. Probably should’ve told you that before I did anything.”</p><p>Goro thins his lips. <em>You shouldn’t have done anything.</em></p><p>A sense of spite rises in his gut, and Goro gives a placating grin. “Well, while the roses did hurt, there wasn’t much harm done. It’s just thorns after all, and this balm helps. Though this was a rather explosive first meeting, I’d say.”

And, again, that feeling of being examined. Kurusu doesn’t immediately respond, and Goro subtly straightens his back and turns up the brightness.</p><p>After an eternity that lasted seconds, Kurusu nods. “Yeah, it was. Sorry about that.”</p><p>“You’re fine. I promise I won’t tell the headmistress about this.” Goro reassures him, gently waving a hand in the air as if to swipe the situation away.</p><p>“Thanks.” Even through the dim lighting, he could clearly make out Kurusu’s lips twitching upwards into a smirk. “I won’t tell anyone about the garden then.”</p><p>“It’s a deal.” Goro suppresses the urge to shove him against a wall.</p><p><em>And then what?</em> A random, stupid thought quickly speeds through his head in response, and Goro pushes further into his anger.</p><p>Goro puts the lid back on the jar once he is done, setting it aside on the table that held the candle. He begins to sidestep Kurusu to get to the door, not giving a glance to the servant as he starts to make his way out. Just as the prince grabs onto the doorknob, the boy speaks up again. </p><p>“Is there-” he begins but cuts off when Goro snaps his head towards him. It doesn’t seem to faze him as much as Goro hoped. “Is there any other way I can repay you?”</p><p>Repay him, huh?</p><p>Goro stews on those words, letting them hang in the air as he considers the implications.</p><p>On one hand, this absolute stranger had the audacity to shove Goro into a shrub of roses, grabbed Goro as if he had the privilege to do so, and then proceeded to manhandle him to wherever he pleased. On the other...</p><p>Nobody has ever had the audacity before, and it’s <em>intriguing</em>.</p><p>If it was anyone else, Goro would’ve stopped them before they could even do anything and have them expelled from the castle grounds in an instant. He wasn’t being light when he said it was a transgression, as it could result in severe punishment if he so wished. But this one, he seemed so awkward and cowardly before, so passive and unsure about how to deal with Goro.</p><p>And then, just as Goro started to lord his power over him, he did what nobody else has done before.</p><p>He <em>stood up</em> to the prince.</p><p>Goro made a vague threat, but a threat nonetheless. Usually, servants would apologize and cower under his words, and Goro would revel in the tiniest of ways over it. But mostly, he would feel numb to the mundanity of it all, the pointlessness of it, and how it doesn’t do much other than give him a tiny thrill of <em>power</em>. When you get the same responses, you can get quite bored pretty easily.</p><p>Kurusu made an unexpected move. Then he made an unexpected move again. He could quite possibly make another if Goro isn’t careful.</p><p><em>A threat</em>, Goro’s mind repeats, but this time he adds wariness and venom and excitement to the next one-</p><p>
  <em>Dangerous.</em>
</p><p>“Yes, you can.” He finally responds and smiles in an almost genuine way. “Convince the head chef to make sushi tonight, and I’ll consider your debt partly paid.”</p><p>“Partly?” Kurusu questions. “What else do I need to do?”</p><p>“I think...” Goro turns the knob and opens the door slightly, allowing sunlight to seep through the gap and cast them both in a warm glow. “I would like to meet again.”</p><p>Kurusu’s face would be perfectly masked to anyone else, but Goro’s keen eyes don’t miss the way he hesitates in utter confusion. He’s been examining him just as closely, after all.</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“Yes. Not a lot of people are so willing to stand up to me or drag me around. If anything, all I’m ever given is what I want to hear. You...surprised me.”</p><p>Kurusu shifts, the storm in his eyes showing a bit more, revealing more for Goro to unveil.</p><p>And when Goro looked into the hurricane that was brewing with determination, he couldn’t help but think as he shivered familiarly:</p><p>
  <em>Ah. I know who you are.</em>
</p><p>“You surprise me too,” Kurusu admits, and he takes hold of the door as he opens it fully. “I would like to hang out again.”</p><p>“Perfect then.”</p><p>As they both step out of the room, with Goro less tousled and in pain than before but still a bit of a mess, they stop for a second to look at each other once more.</p><p>Kurusu gazed at him in a way that made Goro want to pull out his sword then and there and sent crackles of <em>something</em> zipping through his mind.</p><p>Goro didn’t look away, not for a second. He doesn’t think that he can.</p><p>Until there was movement at the corner of his eye, and both Goro and Kurusu turned to look to see what it was.</p><p>It was a maid, a bit further down the hall. She had a mop in one hand and the other up to her mouth.</p><p>Goro feels cold dread well up in his feet, sticking him in place. Kurusu just stands there, passively, nonchalantly, if not with that little bit of awkwardness that he wears like a fucking champ.</p><p>Goro’s cheeks feel like they’re heating up, and god, no-- he tries to suppress his fluster, but it’s too late, the maid is already power walking the rest of the way down the hall, face just as red--</p><p>It is dead silent after she turns the corner and leaves. Neither of the two boys moves a muscle, staring in the direction that she went off to.</p><p>After a bit, Goro releases a small groan and puts a hand up to his face.</p><p>“Something wrong?” He hears Kurusu beside him. What a fucking asshole.</p><p>“No.” Goro sighs and puts his hand down, curling them into fists. “I’m just not fond of rumors.” </p><p>-</p><p>Goro paces in his room, the light of candles scattered across his quarters illuminating him and the surrounding space amongst the night.</p><p>The prince grips his hands into fists and slams one down on the desk, fury brewing through him like an earthquake.</p><p>
  <em>Joker is in the castle.</em>
</p><p>Goro turns his gaze to look at his image in the mirror, seeing the wild look in his eyes.</p><p>
  <em>Why the fuck is Joker here in the castle?</em>
</p><p>Was he always here? Was Goro just never that receptive enough to not consider looking at the castle’s many, many faceless servants?</p><p>No. No-- Kurusu, if that was his real name, seemed very off-put at first and didn’t deny being new. He could have been lying, especially since he knew exactly where the servant’s closet room was at, but surely he wasn’t that good of an actor?</p><p>Goro can’t tell. He couldn’t tell, because the entire time it was hard for him to get an accurate reading of Kurusu. It was obvious the other knew how to mask his thoughts and emotions, as Goro felt that whatever tidbits he did get was offered to him rather than deduced.</p><p>It made him so fucking irritated. Joker has been pulling him around like a dog on a leash for months now, and he was just as cunning in real life as his traces were.</p><p>Goro rubs at his eyes.</p><p>Joker has infiltrated the most secure place in the kingdom, and Goro is the only one who knows about it. He can’t tell Sae, because then his informer would track down Kurusu and hound him until he broke down and gave them answers. Goro didn’t need answers for why Joker was doing what he was doing (he was curious-), he just needed the thief to be able to enact the final stage in his plans.</p><p>Once Joker is caught and brought before King Shido by Goro’s own doing, the thief will be executed and Shido would trust the prince enough to allow him closer. Close enough, just enough to get the top steps on his throne and shove a knife into his throat.</p><p>He’s worked so hard for years, ever since he first stepped onto the castle grounds when he was eleven years old. Goro’s made countless risks to be able to get to where he is now by Shido’s side, useful and not just a secret to force down into hiding like...like…</p><p>Like <em>her.</em></p><p>Goro moves his hands from his face and looks into wine-red.</p><p><em>She </em>hasn’t stepped away from her tower for years, and Shido couldn’t be any more satisfied with it. Her birth was a nuisance, just as much as Goro’s was, and her self-isolation proved to only keep her under Shido’s thumb. It kept her away from the public eye, kept all of their dear family secrets under lock and key, and Goro…</p><p>...Couldn’t care less. He doesn’t have room in his plans and his withered heart for hermit siblings that have no use. They may share the same father, but Goro’s anger and revenge are his own. Like hell would he risk it all just to connect to a half-sister that he hardly got to know before she went up to that damned tower.</p><p>It’s better if she stays out of the picture, stays out of <em>Goro’s</em> picture.</p><p>Goro has a thief to capture and a father to dethrone, and princesses don’t have a part in it.</p><p>Speaking of Joker...Goro thinks it best to keep his presence a secret for a little while. Another risk to add to the pile, because if Shido finds out then he would send every knight in the castle to capture and interrogate (and make Goro slaughter--) every servant in the castle until he was found.</p><p>Joker would either be caught by Shido or escape again. Goro can’t afford either to happen.</p><p>With cold, numb eyes, Goro steps away from the desk mirror and walks towards the balcony.</p><p>The great king made a command a few days ago, one that Goro couldn’t afford to ignore. A loose end was scrambling around, trying to make up the money that it owed its king, and if it was tied...then King Shido would make more than he lost, and all of his secrets would be kept safe once more. As well as Goro’s own.</p><p>Opening the door to the curtained balcony, Goro feels familiar words escape his lips, and a shimmer washes over him as he disappears into the night.</p><p>-</p><p>For a while afterward, everything was…</p><p>Different. It was different, in a way that Goro wasn’t used to, but still obliged by.</p><p>His duties were still the same. He still did his usual chores, his usual sword training and exercising, usual socializing, and he still followed King Shido’s demands right down to the second. However, Goro couldn’t deny that something changed.</p><p>He turned a page in his book as Kurusu kept hold of his foot, efficiently moving the brush and applying gold paint over his toenail.</p><p>Goro hums to himself, snidely flipping another page and enjoying his peace as Kurusu whines dejectedly beneath him.</p><p>“Hm?” Goro looks past the pages, gazing down at the boy with an absolutely beaming smile on his face. “Did you say something?”</p><p>Kurusu makes a pouty face as he dips the tiny brush into the pot of nail polish and glides it across the same nail. “No.”</p><p>“Ah, I thought you did. I figured maybe it was something close to annoyed huffs of humiliation?” Goro smiles down at him, an evil leer zipping through his eyes that he just could not contain.</p><p>Kurusu frowns deeply, the expression marring his otherwise neutral face, and Goro feels so, so thrilled to have pulled it out of him.</p><p>He shifts around minutely and feels the tips of the brush tickle over the edges of his nail.</p><p>“Ah, do try to not get any on my skin,” Goro says as his focus goes back towards the book.</p><p>Goro thinks he feels a glare being directed at him, but when his eyes leave the page he only sees Kurusu’s bangs hiding his eyes, focusing rapt on the task at hand.</p><p>A few minutes passed and soon Kurusu was fully done. Goro felt the servant’s hands leave his feet, the brush being put back beside the bottle on the tray. Goro didn’t look back up this time, already knowing what he would see - a bland disguise to hide childish disappointment, followed by a friendly smirk when he catches Goro’s gaze.</p><p>It was getting disturbingly easy to read Joker, after months of him being an unknowable entity. It should’ve made Goro wearier.</p><p>Kurusu walked away to put up the paints, back somewhere on the shelf where they came from. They were currently inside Goro’s quarters, so the prince could sense where the servant was going. Though, as if he would ever stop being hypervigilant when around the thief’s presence.</p><p>When Kurusu’s footsteps approached once more, Goro still didn’t look back up from his book.</p><p>Something that Goro got to figure out firsthand spending his time investigating and trying to pull a fast one over Joker is that he has many similarities to felines. Not only is he silent, nimble, and lithe, he is also pesky.</p><p>Pesky, and <em>irritating.</em></p><p>Goro feels himself pulling his book closer by instinct, even though Kurusu doesn’t make a slouch forward. It’s the vibe that he’s giving off that puts Goro on edge.</p><p>“Is that all you wanted, master?” Goro somehow breathes in quickly and chokes on air. Kurusu’s grin was shit-eating, and it took everything in Goro’s will to not glare.</p><p>The prince clears his throat, shoving aside the feeling that arose at Kurusu’s unexpected words. <em>Dangerous</em> once again flitted through his mind.</p><p>“I-” <em>How the fuck do you go on from this?!</em> “Hmm…” </p><p>Goro pretends to give it thought, hoping the flush he felt isn’t apparent. “Nothing else comes to mind. But you sound almost ecstatic to do more for me.” He squints his eyes in playful mockery. “Maybe I should’ve just asked you rather than suggest a game?”</p><p>“Maybe.” Kurusu shrugs. “But I like playing games with you.”</p><p>
  <em>Sentimental.  Trying to make a connection. A risk taker.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Go along with it.<strike> You like it.</strike></em>
</p><p>Goro nods. “I understand the sentiment. I’m not used to spending my time like this, but I...have come to cherish it.” <em><strike>More than you should’ve.</strike></em></p><p>When Kurusu doesn’t immediately respond, Goro has an urge to fill up the silence. So, he continues, words spurting out of his mouth before he can stop them. </p><p>
  <em>
    <strike>After all, when was the last time someone just sat back and listened? With no expectations?</strike>
  </em>
</p><p>“I used to just...walk around, read books, or study when I came upon some spare time. I don’t have many friends, and my prince status causes others to revere me. I prefer to work and get things done quickly.” Goro raises a hand slightly, in reaction to his own words. “Ah, but don’t take that as to mean that I don’t pay attention to detail. I just like to focus on what I have to get done, and do it whenever I am able to. It’s hard, finding casual time like this and not regretting it.”</p><p>This time, Kurusu nods his head. It looks like he’s trying to choose his next words carefully, as if Goro was talking about something drastic rather than how he spends his evenings.</p><p>Goro leans forward, book open on his lap, just to get a closer look at the storm.</p><p>“Because there’s something more important at that moment, right?” Kurusu states it like a question, but the way his eyes bore into Goro’s makes the prince think that it was just always shared common knowledge.</p><p>
  <em>
    <strike>Exactly.</strike>
  </em>
</p><p>Goro stares. “Exactly.”</p><p>There’s a second or two of silence, but to Goro it feels like an eternity. Something flared between the look he and Kurusu shared, as if they both know what’s going on, that the water’s deeper than it looks, just like Kurusu’s eyes with the unremarkable grey that swelters with a hidden <em>passion</em>. It was a mutual understanding that the words and moments shared meant more than they seem.</p><p>Eventually, it’s Goro who breaks it as he sits back in his chair.</p><p>“Kurusu, do you perhaps hate losing?”</p><p>The other briefly inhales, his shoulders rising slightly. <em>Subtly emotive</em>, Goro thinks.</p><p>“No…” He answers, and Goro wants to call it a lie. But before he could speak up, Kurusu’s eyes hid behind their bangs and he shifted his head minutely. “I only get like this with you.”</p><p>Goro feels his eyebrows raise.</p><p>He briefly feels something inside of his chest elevate.</p><p>“You…” Goro chuckles, looking back at his book. There’s a small smile on his face that doesn’t feel as fake. “You say some of the weirdest things.”

“Is that bad?”

Goro shakes his head. “No. You just always seem to catch me off guard.”</p><p>Kurusu smiles, a small thing that it is.</p><p>Then, the other’s eyes shift downward towards the book in Goro’s lap, and he sees the words that are penciled in everywhere on the sides of the pages.</p><p>He blinks, trying to make sense of the scribbles. “I didn’t know you wrote in your books.”</p><p>It was Goro’s turn to blink in confusion, and the prince looks back at the book that he stopped reading in favor of Kurusu. He picks it back up, intent on closing it and redirecting Kurusu’s attention, but the damage was already done.</p><p>Goro looks between the book, then to Kurusu, who was looking at him patiently and almost blandly, as if he wouldn’t mind if Goro did just close it and leave it at that.</p><p>“I…” Goro begins, closing the book. “I don’t.”</p><p>Kurusu tilts his head, visibly curious now. <em>He must have been hiding it.</em></p><p>“It’s from the library, as you know, but…” Goro turns it around, staring at the cover and the words that outline the rough back of the book.</p><p>
  <em>‘The History of Incantations’.</em>
</p><p>“It actually comes from her tower.” He finishes.</p><p>Kurusu’s expression slightly shifts. Goro is torn between analyzing it or the invasive words that cover the pages from top to bottom.</p><p>“You’re still sort of new here, right?” Goro questions. “I don’t think you would know of the princess just yet. Her presence is...ghostly, in nature.”</p><p>“There’s a princess?” Kurusu’s eyes widen as he goes on. “You have a sister?”</p><p>“Hm. Sort of. Technically speaking, she’s my half-sister. She was apparently born in this castle, and hasn’t left its grounds once. I’m older than her, and I was born in a town against the edges of the border, so I didn’t know about her until I was found and brought here. We didn’t speak much during our time together, but now we don’t even see each other at all.” Goro looks back up at Kurusu, noting the shocked look on his face.</p><p>“What happened to her?” He asks, gently, as if he was treading on dangerous territory.</p><p><em>He is,</em> Goro thinks.</p><p>His lips thin. Something numb falls upon him, and he pushes forward. “Her...mother passed, after a strong spell went awry. It happened years ago, but she hasn’t let herself out of her tower since.”</p><p>Silence followed. Goro sets the book aside, finishing with some final thoughts.</p><p>“It’s why she’s more of a phantom than human by this point. King Shido didn’t want word spreading about someone dying on castle grounds due to the volatile nature of magic, so he allowed his only daughter to lock herself away. It’s...complicated, to say the least.”</p><p>More silence.</p><p>Kurusu speaks up after a few terse seconds. “How did you get her book?”</p><p>“There’s a servant who goes up the tower every day. They bring her food and a book, and sometimes she’ll return ones that she has finished, I’d assume. She writes in all of them, so it’s easy to tell which ones are hers.”</p><p>The other nods, an uncertain look appearing on his face for a moment. “Her tower...it’s the one off on the left side of the castle, right?”</p><p>Goro hesitates.</p><p><em>Odd question. Keep note of that. This </em>is <em>Joker, remember?</em></p><p>“Yes, that is correct.” He answers, pretending to be none the wiser.</p><p>Kurusu’s eyes almost gleam, as if he didn’t strike gold but knew he was close to it, and it makes Goro want to shiver again.</p><p>Grey is such a shallow color. So how does Kurusu give it so much depth?</p><p>Goro wants to say something. He wants to demand why he’s here, wants to pull out his sword and challenge him, fight till they’re bloody and cut up and see who comes back out alive--</p><p>The moment is suddenly broken when a knock on the playroom’s door resonates throughout, making both boys turn to look.</p><p>A servant peeks her head through, looking nervously between Goro and Kurusu. Her short brown hair fans over her face, her red eyes almost piercing if it weren’t for the obvious anxiousness.</p><p>“I- uh…” she stumbles at first, and she clears her throat before continuing. “Kurusu, your assistance is...required. In the kitchen.”</p><p>One of Goro’s eyebrows raises. “Oh?”</p><p>Kurusu nods at the girl, and he stretches his back as he responds, the sound of multiple bones popping filling the room. “I’ll be right there. Sorry to keep you waiting.”</p><p>Goro turns his interested look back towards the boy in front of him. “But Kurusu, aren’t you more of a stablehand and gardener rather than a chef’s assistant?”</p><p>The girl makes a choking sound, as if just realizing her mistake (<em>another thing to note down)</em>, but Kurusu just winks at him. That fucking audacity of his still astounds the prince. “I like to think I can make a pretty good curry.”</p><p>“Curry? For royalty and nobles?” Goro snorts, his heart fluttering in his chest for some reason. “Well, I would sure like to have a taste sometime. It’s been a while since I last had curry, much less a decent serving.”</p><p>It was Kurusu’s turn to make something akin to a withheld laugh. Goro’s about to make a comment once more, but then a cough interrupts the moment the two were having.</p><p>“I hate to interrupt you two, especially you, uh... your highness, but you know how the chef is. Right, Kurusu?” The girl looks over at him, and oh, there’s that aforementioned piercing gaze. It would almost rival Goro’s if it was just a tinge more diabolical.</p><p>“Right.” Kurusu turns away, giving one last look to Goro.</p><p>“I guess I’ll talk with you later?” Goro questions, a playful smile gracing his features.</p><p>“Later as in tonight?” Kurusu gets out, and the other servant makes a loud groan before walking across the room and forcefully grabbing Kurusu’s wrist. The boy makes a surprised sound and almost stumbles over his feet as he is suddenly pulled away, but the way he grinned at Goro lets the prince know that he knew exactly what he was doing.</p><p>Goro wants to punch him probably just as much as the girl does.</p><p>The door closes with a loud thud, and then Goro is surrounded by silence.</p><p>He looks down at the book at his side, and raises a hand to gently trace a finger across the curves decorating the cover.</p><p>Alone with his thoughts once more, Goro once again thinks about change.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>HI!! So, I'm back to writing fics again!!</p><p>For now. My life has been so chaotically balls off the wall insane that I was almost unable to post this fic. It's already a day late, but luckily the situation with my wifi has been resolved. So now, I present to you my work for the Goro Big Bang 2020!</p><p>I worked really hard on this fic these past few months. I barely managed to scrape by, as my wifi kept going in and out (I once lost it for a month and had to constantly redownload this fic just to work on it offline), I had to get a job to help pay bills, and my mental health collapsed. My interests have also shifted again, which meant my attention was everywhere but at the fic that I wanted to work on the most.</p><p>But thanks to my lovely beta readers, Goose (who helped me smooth out this idea) and Liza (who read my entire fic and gave great advice constantly), I was able to roll up my sleeves and push through!</p><p>And thanks to my artists, who have created such amazing works for this story!! You can check them out at <a>@_Erikosawa</a> <a>(Their amazing art for this fic!)</a>  and  <a>@Ribbon_nyao</a> !!</p><p>I'm going to take some time off before I get started on chapter 2, and hope that my life becomes much more stable that I can focus much better on this series ;;w;; But thank you so much for reading! Here's <a>My Twitter</a> if you want to see me tweet about Goro Akechi and shuake and Goro Akechi</p></blockquote></div></div>
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